Unlikely Alliances Mutatis Mutandis
by N2
Summary: Sequel to 'Odium.' The X-Men, Acolytes and Brotherhood finally arrive in Snow Valley.


_Disclaimer:_ If I owned any of the characters in the following fic, the show would be on late-night TV after the cheap soft-core pornos. 

_Author's Notes:_ This story takes place in the _Mutatis Mutandis_ timeline, following the story entitled _Odium._ This means that unless you've read the other MM stories (conveniently located at www.originofspecies.cjb.net) you will most likely be left sitting there going "what the hell is going on?!" If you HAVE read all the other stories and are still here, Kitten and I would like to extend hearty thanks to you. Now on with the story. 

Unlikely Alliance   
By N 

Peace never lasts. 

If there was one thing that he had learned during his 15 years on earth, it was that while there might be intervals of tranquility, everything eventually fell apart again. The quiet moments were always ruined by upheavals of violence - life was a great big wheel, and it just kept going round and round in the same pattern. The upside, he supposed, was that the violent periods had to eventually give way to peace again. 

But as he watched Magneto's not-so-merry-band of mutants start to recover from the shock of nearly being killed by a giant robot and then spirited away by their enemies in a stolen jet, Todd Tolensky had to wonder if that peaceful period would arrive in time to prevent possible bodily injury. 

Somehow he doubted it. 

The redhead with the flamepack seemed to be distracted by Clarice; he was hanging onto her hands as though she were going to fade away if he let go. Pietro, the little traitor, was crammed next to the giant Russian, who was watching them all with even distrust. Todd could practically feel Wanda's rage washing towards the boy like a poison surf. 

Finally the creepy looking one in the trenchcoat cleared his throat. "Snow Valley?" he asked. His voice was soft, accented, and perfectly in control. "Dat where you takin' us, then?" 

*Not bloody likely,* the _really_ scary looking one said before anyone could reply. 

"Jono," Clarice warned. He ignored her. 

"Hey man," Lance jumped in. "We saved your butts back there!" The fact that Lance himself really hadn't done anything didn't seem to make a difference in his argument. "So you can just sit down and shut up. You go where we go." 

Slow, achingly slow, turn of the head. *Did I ask you? No? Then naff off.* 

Lance opened his mouth to say something else (probably 'Fuck you', Todd imagined) but Xavier chose that moment to arrive from the front of the plane. Todd didn't' think he'd ever been more pleased to see Ol' Baldy. 

"Enough," Xavier said with uncommon severity. "Something terrible has happened, and I will not have you children fighting amongst yourselves in such a time of gravity." He looked around the cabin and found no resistance. He took a deep breath, held it for a second, and exhaled. 

"You children have no idea what you have done," he said quietly. "You were set up. Magneto underestimated Hull and his supporters, and I am afraid it has cost him his life." He looked pained, and raised a hand briefly to his forehead before continuing. "Your attack on the Senator will be used as evidence that mutants are dangerous. While this may have been what Magneto wanted, I'm afraid that the fact that we had to turn and run will prove to those involved that we are not as formidable as they had feared. It will prove, in short, that Magneto was wrong - we _can_ be stopped. We _can_ be hunted, and we _can_ be killed. 

"And that is exactly what they will try to do. Hunt us down, and destroy us." 

"We will not go easily," said the Russian. His voice was as cold as the metallic substance his skin transformed into. 

"No. But the fact remains that there will be precious few safe places for us at this time." Xavier looked down for a moment, and Todd saw with shock that he was nearly shaking. 

_He's just a man, after all,_ Todd thought. 

"I am offering you children a chance," Xavier continued. "Without Magneto, you have virtually no protection against the forces conspiring against us. Please, come with us, if only temporarily. Let us call a truce, for the sake of all involved. Whatever our differences, we are all mutants and we are _all_ in danger." 

Silence. 

"Do..." It was Pietro. He swallowed once, very loud in the stillness. "Do you think Magneto is really dead?" 

Xavier closed his eyes for a moment. "Yes. I'm sorry, Pietro." 

Pietro nodded, his eyes downcast. 

"Good," Wanda whispered. It was a silky, satisfied sound. Pietro winced as though he'd been struck. 

"So what's in Snow Valley?" asked the redhead - Pyro, Todd remembered suddenly. 

"Good fuckin' question," Lance added. "All you've told us is that it's safe. Don't you think we deserve a little more clarification by this point?" 

Todd noticed Summers was watching the Professor carefully and he came to the conclusion that four-eyes didn't know the whole story either. 

"In Snow Valley, Massachusetts, there exists an old boarding school. It is remote, equip with state-of-the-art security systems, and practically forgotten by the world at large." Xavier's mouths turned up at the corners in a small, bitter smile. "It has been offered to us as a safe haven." 

"By who?" Scott asked. 

"A woman by the name of Emma Frost. She is a very wealthy and influential woman, and one who also happens to be a mutant." 

"So she's just offering us a place to crash out of the goodness of her heart?" Lance asked. He snorted. "Yeah, right. What's the catch?" 

"Not everything has a catch, Lance," Kitty started, but Xavier raised a hand to silence her. 

"In this case, Kitty, I can assure you there is a price to be paid. The problem is that I do not yet know what it is." Xavier's eyes darkened. "Emma is not exactly the most… scrupulous woman in the world." 

"I t'ink I like her already," Gambit drawled with a lazy smile. 

"Great," Lance muttered. "We're flyin' in a stolen jet to the middle of nowhere so some psycho chick with a million bucks can decide what to do with us." He sighed. "At least life ain't boring." 

"Look at it this way, dumbass," Wanda said. "What choice have we got?" 

*** 

The jet landed in a secret hangar not unlike the one that had been at the Institute, a fact that prompted Lance to mutter something about everyone rich person in the world having 007 fantasies. The children assembled to disembark, the Professor and Storm going ahead of them down the ramp. 

"Charles, so _glad_ you could make it," a cultured voice rang out across the hangar. There was the echoing click of high-heels on metal as Emma Frost strode into view. 

She was of average height with straight platinum-blonde hair cut shoulder-length. She was clad, barely, in a white leather corset and skirt. Knee-high stiletto boots completed the picture. 

Storm looked less than impressed. 

"Emma," Xavier said. "Thank you again for offering us this..." 

Emma waved one hand demurely, as though it were no big deal. "Oh Charles, really. You know I'm doing this for the good of the children." She favoured them all with a smile as genuine as jewelry from the Home Shopping Network. 

"Follow me," she commanded, turning on one spiked heel and walking across the hangar. They exited and moved down a corridor to a large elevator. "There are training facilities on this level," Emma informed them as they all crowded onto the elevator. "But you'll be given the grand tour later." 

The elevator stopped after a few minutes and slid open to reveal a hallway that opened up on a huge seating room. The décor and furnishings were all heavy and classic - the place looked like it had been decorated sometime around the era women had been given the vote. 

"A trifle stuffy, I know," Emma said as she sank into an overstuffed armchair. "But this was at one time one of Massachusetts's premier academy for the elite and I think that sense of history adds to the place. Don't you agree Charles?" 

Xavier said nothing and Emma smiled. 

"You children look terrible. Boys, your dormitory is to the left of the main building. Girls, to the right. You'll find bathrooms there, and I've taken the liberty of ordering some clothes. I had to guess at the sizes." She shrugged delicately. "I trust you'll be able to clean yourselves up properly. Dinner will be served in one hour. Just go out those doors there and go right - you won't get lost. Now shoo, your new Headmistress has to talk with the grown-ups." 

"Go," Storm agreed when Scott cast an enquiring glance her way. The children left the room, heading towards the front hall and the massive oak doors that led outside to the grounds. 

"Guess we'll see you in an hour," Jean said to Scott once they were outside. 

"Yeah," he replied, then added quietly, "Keep it together, okay?" 

Jean smiled. "You too." 

The teams split, divided by gender, and headed towards their respective dormitories. "Separate dorms," Lance muttered as the guys walked. "How fuckin' weak." 

*** 

As soon as the children were gone, Xavier looked Emma in the eye and spoke quietly. 

"I'm here because I have no other choice," he said. "I'm also here because recent events affect you as well, Emma, and I think you're intelligent enough to realize that." He leaned forward a little. "I will not see these children harmed in any way." 

Emma's smile slipped form her face like a mask. "I can assure you Charles, that I have no intention of hurting them. I want to help them, to teach them. You know I'm not lying." She stood. "Now, I'll see about dinner. I suggest you and your companions clean up." She favoured Wolverine with a slightly distasteful look. "I think you'll have time for a bath." 

After she had departed, Storm turned to the Professor. "Was she lying?" she asked. 

Xavier shook his head. "No. But it's what she wants to teach them that worries me." 

*** 

Things were just getting bizarre, Todd decided. 

The boys had entered the dormitory to find brand new clothing laid out in the main entry - every last article of which was in-fashion and of impeccable quality. There were varying sizes, and amazingly it looked like something was guaranteed to fit Freddy. 

"This stuff ain't my style, yo," Todd declared as he held up a deep charcoal jacket and crisply pressed dress shirt. Lance nodded I agreement. 

Pietro was picking through the clothing rapidly. "This must have cost a fortune," he exclaimed. "Hey, Armani…!" He zipped off in a blur with a bundle of clothes in his arms and the rest of the guys heard a door slam upstairs seconds later. 

"Great," Lance muttered. "We gotta dress up for dinner. What is this, the freakin' Ritz?" 

"Beats hanging out in spandex," Evan commented, carefully selecting a light grey shirt. "Damn. Wish the pants were bigger, though." 

Soon enough everyone had found something that looked like it would fit. There was surprisingly little squabbling over the bathrooms - Todd decided everyone was just too tired and in shock to care much about the disgustingly long time Pietro took to do his hair. Todd, of course, figured the 'cleaning up' part was optional and just wriggling into his borrowed clothes without showering. 

The sleeves were too long, but he figured it was good enough. 

"Yo," he said when he spotted Lance in the hallway. 

"Hey," Lance replied. He looked, Todd decided, like he'd mugged the prom king. "Nice outfit." 

"I think I'm stylin'," Todd said. "Hope Wanda digs it." He strutted a little to demonstrate his Aura of Cool. Lance rolled his eyes. 

Soon enough everyone was cleaned up and changed. Reluctantly they headed back across the quad together, nobody saying much. 

"This is too weird, yo," Todd declared suddenly, and immediately wished he hadn't broken the silence when everyone stared at him. He stuttered a little but plowed on regardless. "I-I mean, all o'us walkin' around like we ain't enemies. Which I guess we aren't right now." More silence. He wished he'd never said anything. 

"Th'little slimy guy's got a point," Pyro spoke up as they neared the main building's entry. "No sense getting' pissy with each other. I mean, who knows how long we'll be here?" 

*'Opefully not long,* was Chamber's only contribution to the subject. He hadn't taken off the leather jacket, Todd noticed. 

Summers grimaced a little. "Gee, we'll be so sorry to see you leave," he muttered. 

They found the dining hall without too much trouble. The girls were already there and seated at the laden table, dressed likewise in semi-formal attire. Wanda looked pissed-off, which Todd found very fetching. She was cute when she was angry. 

"You look divine, sweetums," he told her as he took the seat across from her. She buried her face in her hands and groaned something about suicide. 

As soon as everyone was seated Emma Frost, sitting at the head of the table, rose from her seat and gently rapped her wine glass with her fork. "Attention children," she said. "I just wanted to say how pleased I am to have you all here. How splendid you all look." This didn't seem to be entirely truth, but it was a lie she carried off fairly gracefully. 

"Excuse me, Miss Frost," interrupted a respectful and yet somehow chilly voice. Summers, Toad saw. "But if you don't mind me asking… what exactly is going to happen to us now that we're here?" 

Emma smiled tightly. "I was just getting to that, my dear boy. I am offering you children a safe haven under one circumstance - you must learn while you are here." 

"What, like _school_?" Lance asked incredulously. "Bullshit!" 

Emma shot him a warning glance. "Profanity, Mr. Alvers, is not permitted at my dinner table. Do it again and you'll find yourself in quite a lot of pain." She regarded everyone else again with a smile. "Xavier and Magneto were not the only ones who thought to train the next generation of mutants. I myself have some experience in this field, and I wholeheartedly wish for you children to learn to control your powers here, with me." She raised her glass. "You children are in an awful lot of trouble. If you'd been trained properly, much of this could have been avoided." 

Xavier frowned darkly but said nothing. 

"So..." Evan started cautiously. "It'd be like we were back at the Institute?" 

"Basically," Storm said. "Although you won't be attending any local high schools." 

Emma sniffed derisively. "You children shouldn't be mingling with cattle anyway," she said. 

Gambit chuckled. 

"Very well!" Emma said, taking a sip from her glass. "Consider this your inaugural dinner as students at the Massachusetts Academy. I'm sure we're all going to be _very_ happy with this arrangement." 

_Yeah,_ Todd thought, glancing around the table. The Acolytes were sitting together, as were the X-Men. His own rag-tag team was also sitting next to one another. _I'm sure we'll get along just peachy._

-End 

Send death-threats to decadentmazohyst@yahoo.ca   
Remember, www.originofspecies.cjb.net has the REST of this timeline, so if you read this and were confused but intrigued, you can check it out easily there. 


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